


sooner or later it comes down to faith

by fangirl_squee



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Comfort Sex, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Trans Character, extended food metaphors, post episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 07:55:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11939700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: They do get cheese fries, eventually.(Spoilers for episode 2 of Bluff City)





	sooner or later it comes down to faith

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for episode 2 of Bluff City.
> 
> I listened to the ep, went to bed, and then got up to write this because I Needed this. Thanks to Maddie for her speedy betaing.
> 
> title from 'Only The Good Die Young' by Billy Joel, obviously, how could I not.

It's been years, but Jodie recognises him from across the boardwalk. Not the Bluff City boardwalk, of course, but Bluff City doesn't hold ownership of greasy food sold by the sea.

 

Jodie's there for work, what she calls her  _ side job _ . It helps to think of it that way, as an alternative career choice rather than something she does desperately to try to stop something terrible from happening - like trying to hold back a landslide with her own two hands. He’s probably there for work too. That’s the only time they see each other, nowadays.

 

She'd ducked out of her motel room to get coffee. The coffee from the rickety cart at the beach probably wasn't going to be much better than the instant coffee in her shitty motel room but at least it gave her the chance to pretend for a moment that she was like anyone else here, just out seeing the sights on a cold, windy day. 

 

She doesn't look her best. It seems silly, to care about a thing like that, but she wasn't expecting to see anyone she knew (she wasn't  _ supposed  _ to be  _ seen  _ by anyone she knew, shit). Sonny doesn't look much better, shoulders hunched and hands wrapped around the flimsy paper cup. The wind's messing up his hair, blowing it into his face, and he wrinkles his nose.

 

He pauses as he catches sight of her, the cup halfway to his lips. She shrugs, raises her own cup slightly, an almost-gesture. He gives her a short nod, and they go to pretending to not know each other. 

 

She walks past his table as she leaves, bumping into his chair. 

 

“Sorry,” says Jodie. Her voice is scratchy from lack of use and the early hour of the morning. 

 

“S’alright,” says Sonny. “Looks like you're in quite a rush.”

 

She nods, flicking her gaze to the left and right. The only other people around are hunched in on themselves, trying to shield their take-away cups from the wind. 

 

“I'm trying to find a place with cheese fries,” says Jodie.

 

“Cheese fries,” says Sonny. He pauses. “Pretty early in the day for that.”

 

“I've got nowhere to be,” says Jodie, “And I'm staying across the way there. Thought I might bring some back to help pass the time.”

 

Sonny looks up at her, really  _ looks  _ this time, squinting at her a little in the weak morning light. “You know, they're pretty bad for you: cheese fries.”

 

“Only if you eat ‘em every day,” says Jodie. “Every now and then, that's probably okay.”

 

Sonny shrugs. “Hey, you do you.”

 

He takes a sip of his coffee, his gaze sliding away from her. When she turns she can feel his eyes go back to her, and she presses her lips together. She walks away from the tiny, shitty cart, and crosses the road to her tiny, shitty motel.

 

When she gets back to the motel room, she methodically searches through it -- no listening devices, no tracking devices, no signs of disturbances while she was out. Good. That's good.

 

She winces as she stands, rubbing her knee. The cold weather’s aggravating it, and the heating in the motel room, predictably, isn’t working. She's been telling her boss it's from slipping on a wet sidewalk when she was out jogging, but when it throbs like this in the cold air she can remember the sharp _crack_ of sound of the baseball bat connecting with her knee. 

 

Jodie takes a deep breath in and out, and then she sits at the table, and waits. 

 

She doesn't have to wait long. Sonny's way of knocking is very distinctive. 

 

“It's open,” says Jodie. 

 

Sonny opens the door slowly, frowning at her. He closes it carefully behind himself, not stepping off the worn patch of carpet in the doorway. He's still holding his cup of coffee, steam rising from it slowly in the cold air of the room.

 

“Pretty dangerous to keep your door unlocked like that.”

 

“I only do it when I know I'll have visitors,” says Jodie.

 

“Cheese fries delivery?” says Sonny. 

 

“Something like that,” says Jodie. 

 

Sonny doesn't move from the doorway, but his hand doesn't go to his gun either. It’s a good sign, better than she’s had from him in a while.

 

“They're not as good here as in other places,” says Jodie. “I remember the ones in Bluff City being pretty good.”

 

Something flickers across Sonny's face, impossible to make out in the dim light in the motel room. 

 

“Maybe your memory just makes them seem better than the ones you're eating at present,” says Sonny. 

 

“Yeah,” says Jodie. “Maybe.”

 

Sonny still doesn't move. 

 

Jodie clears her throat. “I'm going to take my gun out and lay it on the table. If you'd like, you could do the same.”

 

“Or I could leave,” says Sonny. 

 

“You could,” says Jodie, “but you already walked all the way over here and it's pretty cold out, so.”

 

Jodie holds herself steady, taking her gun out of her holster and laying it down, the handle facing towards Sonny. Sonny takes a step forward, and then another, and then he’s standing in front of her, not crowding into her space as much as he could in the small room, less deliberate and more like he didn't measure his steps well enough. He leans back, like he's thinking about taking a step back before he thinks better of it. 

 

Jodie’s knee throbs in time with her heartbeat. 

 

“If I put my gun down, what then?” says Sonny. “You want to  _ talk _ ?”

 

“That's one of the things we could do, sure,” says Jodie. 

 

“If you're looking for a way back--”

 

“I'm not,” says Jodie, “I'm not looking for anything. There's no way back, and there's no way out. I'm not looking for those anymore. I'm just… I'm looking for a way through.”

 

Jodie swallows hard. She desperately wants to look away from Sonny, she's never had a good poker face when she's tired, but she knows better than to take her eyes off a Veranda. 

 

Slowly,  _ slowly _ , Sonny reaches into his jacket and pulls out his gun. He holds it, loose but still pointed towards her. Jodie is very careful to keep herself still. If she has to, she can get her gun, she can flip the table up and use it as cover, she can--

 

Sonny puts his gun down on the table, the handle of it facing towards her. Jodie lets out a long breath.

 

“Okay,” says Sonny. 

 

“Okay,” says Jodie. 

 

She stands, stepping away from the table. She's a little taller than him, even without heels,and he tilts his head up a little to meet her eyes. They're still very close together, too close to not be able to feel each other’s body heat. 

 

Sonny reaches up, brushing an errant strand of hair behind her ear. It's the barest, briefest of touches, but his fingertips are so warm in the cold air. Her eyes flicker shut for a moment, letting herself feel the whisper of heat on her skin. 

 

“It's been awhile, since,” Jodie swallows, licks her lips, takes a breath. “Since I had cheese fries. I haven't… it's hard, finding a place that you can trust to do it right.”

 

Sonny leans closer, the fabric of his jacket brushing against her. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

 

“God I hope so,” says Jodie.

 

Sonny huffs a laugh, his hand sliding to cup the back of her head and draw her down into a kiss. It's… warm. Familiar. Jodie sighs, and lets herself get caught up in the moment, in the comforting sensation of a memory. 

 

She tentatively puts her hands to his waist. It's firmer than she remembers but he reacts the same way, sighing into her mouth as she presses his body against her's, his other hand coming up to run up and down her back. 

 

She leans back a little, her lips just brushing his. “How long do you have?”

 

“Couple hours,” says Sonny, “you?”

 

“The same,” says Jodie, “I'm waiting for a call.”

 

Sonny nods. His eyes flick to the bed, and back to her. Jodie nods, taking his hand in her's and pulling him towards the bed. Sonny leans up to kiss her again, his hands going to the zipper at the front of her hoodie. She pushes at his jacket, sliding the rich fabric off his shoulders, and he shivers.

 

“Sorry about, you know,” says Jodie. “I called the maintenance guy but apparently he doesn't work on Thursdays.”

 

“That’s alright,” says Sonny, “you can heat me up.”

 

Jodie laughs, leaning her forehead on Sonny's shoulder for a moment. 

 

“What?” says Sonny. 

 

“Nothing,” says Jodie, “nothing.”

 

She tilts her head, pressing a kiss to his neck. His breath hitches just like she remembers, his hands flex on her side to pull her closer just like she expected them to. It's reassuring. 

 

A lot of it is just like she remembers. Sonny keeps his hands on her waist as he shuffles them backwards, pulling her down to straddle him. When she unbuttons his shirt, the familiar scars are there on his chest, and he nods, arching towards her as a wordless invitation to touch. His thumbs move in small circles around her hipbones, warmth seeping into her even through fabric. He remembers the spots that make her gasp, make her cover her mouth to cover a sound, just as well as she remembers those spots for him. 

 

Some of it is different. Tattoos snake their way around his arms, interlocking geometric patterns. Jodie runs her fingers over them.

 

“Family stuff,” says Sonny, “It's a tradition, sort of.”

 

Jodie nods. 

 

Sonny blinks when he sees the knee brace that had been hidden by her jeans. She's glad he can't see the shiny scar tissue under it. It's been years, but she still avoids looking at it when she gets out of the shower 

 

“Family stuff,” says Jodie. 

 

Sonny stills. His fingers gently trace the along edge of the brace. He bends, placing a kiss on her thigh above the brace. His hands go to the straps. 

 

Jodie's breath catches in her throat. “Don't.”

 

Sonny pauses, then nods. His hands slide away from the brace and Jodie sighs, first with relief and then again with arousal as Sonny ducks his head again to mouth at her through the fabric of her underwear. 

 

This is more familiar. She rubs her heel against his back, encouraging her forward and drawing out a soft groan from him. She can she him slip a hand inside his own pants, his hips arching. She tugs on his hair, pulling his focus back to her. 

 

Sonny doesn't bother to pull her underwear off, instead pulling the crotch of it to the side with one hand as his other grips her thigh. She remembers him doing this in another time, after closing when Doyle had popped out to make a call, the hard edge of Sonny’s desk digging into her thighs, keeping her steady as he took her apart. She shudders, feeling her muscles flutter at the memory. 

 

He nuzzles between her thighs, licking a stripe along her opening, teasing her slowly. Jodie moans, her hips arching up towards his mouth. 

 

Under the sound of her own ragged breathing she can hear her own slick noises, and Sonny’s. His tongue circles her clit, slowly at first and then building speed. She whines, feeling her muscles tense and tremble, her hands twisting in his hair. Sonny groans and the sound shudders through her. 

 

“ _ Sonny _ ,” gasps Jodie, “I need--I'm”

 

“I know,” says Sonny roughly, “I remember.”

 

He presses two fingers into her, crooking them as he sucks at her clit. Jodie gasps, her body arching forward, straining as she comes, before she flops back down on the bed, panting. 

 

“You've got a good memory,” says Jodie, a little out of breath as she leans her head to one side to look at him. 

 

Sonny laughs, sounding strained. His hand is still moving inside his pants, the movement drawing her eyes. Jodie brushes her fingers over his wrist and he bites his lip.

 

“You want me to…?”

 

Sonny takes a shuddering breath. “No, no, I--can you just--”

 

“Oh,” says Jodie, “Oh, sure, yeah. I remember.”

 

She leans up on a shaky elbow, pulling him down into a kiss. She cards her hand through his hair, letting her blunt nails scrape along his scalp. Sonny moans into her mouth, his head butting back against her hand like a cat. 

 

She pulls harder on his hair, tilting his head back to bare his neck to her before she bends to suck a bruising kiss below his collarbone, somewhere he'll be able to hide it if he needs to. Sonny moans again, hips stuttering. Jodie scrapes her teeth along his skin, pulling harder at his hair. Sonny clamps a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound as he tips over the edge, his body arching like a bow off the bed. 

 

Jodie traces lines over his body as he comes back down, following scars old and new. She supposes she's a bit like that herself. They don’t say anything, the only sound coming from the howling wind outside, rattling the windows. They lean into each other, sharing the warmth between them in the cold room.

 

Her phone buzzes, making them both flinch. 

 

1 new message: unknown sender 

_ It's time.  _

 

“You have to go?” says Sonny. 

 

Jodie looks over at him, still spread out on the bed, warm and inviting. 

 

She sighs. “Yeah.”

 

Sonny nods, pushing himself up with a huff and searching around on the floor for his clothes, his movements soft and clumsy. 

 

Jodie pulls on her clothes slowly, wincing as she pulls her jeans over the knee brace. When she looks up, Sonny is watching her closely. 

 

“What?” says Jodie. 

 

“You should get you leg looked at,” says Sonny. “I mean, if it's that bad. It looks like it's that bad.”

 

Jodie shrugs. “Can't exactly tell them how I got it.”

 

“I guess,” says Sonny. He pauses. ‘Uh, I didn't… when we were, I didn't, you know…”

 

“No,’ says Jodie quickly, “No, it, uh. It helps. Takes my mind off it.”

 

“Right,” says Sonny. 

 

They both look away from each other, pulling on their clothes in silence. Jodie looks down at their guns, her hand hovering over Sonny’s gun for a moment before picking up her own. Sonny picks up his, neatly slipping it back into its holster. 

 

Jodie lets out a breath. “Back to work.”

 

“Right,” says Sonny, “Guess I'll… see you round.”

 

He puts a hand of the doorknob. 

 

“Hey,” says Jodie. 

 

Sonny half turns towards her, his hand still on the doorknob. 

 

“I know you're not into cheese anymore,” says Jodie, “but if you ever feel like getting cheese fries sometime…”

 

“I'll keep that in mind,” says Sonny. 

 

Jodie looks at the door for a moment after it clicks shut behind Sonny. She checks the time on her phone and stretches her arms above her head. She'll give it five minutes. Then it's back to work. 

 

She hopes there’s another shitty beach coffee cart in their future.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on social media: mariusperkins


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